Did Wikipedia remove the word "annexation" from the Gamla article?

Yes. "annexation" appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today it appears nowhere in the article, references included. We saved the article's opening paragraph at 6 moments between 2010 and 2025, and the counts come from those saved copies.

When did the Gamla article stop using the word "annexation"?

The word appeared 1 times in the opening at its peak in 2010. It appears nowhere in the article today, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

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What did Wikipedia remove from the Gamla article?

The opening as it read in 2010

Gamla Gamla ( Hebrew גמלא Gamla or Gamala ), a site inhabited since the Early Bronze Age , became the capital of the Jewish Golan from 87 BC to 68 AD when it was sacked by the Romans. Its remains can still be seen in the Golan Heights . The name Gamla is derived from the word gamal , meaning 'camel', as it is situated on a hill shaped like a camel's hump. It was excavated and identified by a group of amateur Israel archeologists, among them, Shmarya Gutmann and Gal Itzhaki, after the 1967 Six Day War. The city appears to have been a Seleucid fort (2nd century BC) which later became a civilian settlement. Jews inhabited it from the last quarter of the 2nd century BC, and under the Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus in c. 81 BC it was annexed to the Hasmonean state. Josephus Flavius was the Commander of Galilee during the Jewish Revolt against Rome and in 66 AD fortified Gamla as his main stronghold on the Golan (Antiquities of the Jews 13:394). He gives a very detailed topographical description of the city and describes the Roman siege under the command of Vespasian which led to its conquest in 67 AD, by the Legion X Fretensis . The Romans attempted to take the city by means of a siege ramp, but were repulsed by the defenders; only on the second attempt did they succeed in penetrating the fortifications and conquering the city. According to Josephus, some 4,000 inhabitants were slaughtered, while 5,000 others, while trying to escape down the steep northern slope, were either trampled to death or fell, perhaps threw themselves, down a ravine (Josephus, The Jewish War IV, 1-83).There is reason to believe that Josephus exaggerated the numbers. The notion that these inhabitants committed mass-suicide has been questioned, since the account appears to force an analogy with the story of the end of the siege of Masada , also recounted by Josephus. The Greek word Josephus used implies a hasty, clumsy flight. Suicide is forbidden under most circumstances by Jewish law. The Golan Archaeological Museum displays artifacts from Gamla, including arrowheads, ballista stones, clay oil lamps, and coins minted in the town during the siege. A scale model and film are used to describe the conquest and destruction of the Jewish town and all of its inhabitants by Vespasian . One of the questions most often raised regarding the site concerns why no human remains have been found there. A tentative answer is discussed by Danny Syon at the linked website. Eli Ashkenazi , ‘What are the mysterious stones emerging from Kinneret waters?’, Haaretz 17/06/2008 "The Dead", Israel Antiquities Authority site¹

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 365217318.

The opening as it stood in 2005

Ruins of the city of Gamla The remains of the city of Gamla lies on the Golan Heights . The name is derived from the Hebrew word "gamal" meening - a camel, as it is situated on a hill shaped like a camels rump. This city is often alternatively spelled as Gamala . The city was founded by the Hasmonean ruler Alexander Yannaeus in the first century BCE Josephus Flavius was the Commander of Galilee during the Jewish Revolt against Rome and in 66 CE fortified Gamla as his main stronghold on the Golan (Antiquities of the Jews 13:394). He gives a very detailed topographical description of the city and describes the Roman siege under the command of Vespasian which led to its conquest in 67 CE. The Romans attempted to take the city by means of a siege ramp, but were turned back by the defenders; only on the second attempt did they succeed in penetrating the fortifications and conquering the city. Thousands of inhabitants were slaughtered, while others chose to jump to their deaths from the top of the cliff (Josephus, The Jewish War IV, 1-83).

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The opening as it stood in 2015 18 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Gamla ( ) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights , believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars . The site of a Roman siege during the Great Revolt of the 1st century CE, Gamla is a symbol of heroism for the modern state of Israel and an important historical and archaeological site. It lies within the current Gamla nature reserve and is a prominent tourist attraction.

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The opening as it stood in 2020

Ancient Jewish city This article is about the ancient city. The Camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights . It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 81 BCE. During the Great Revolt , it became an important stronghold for rebels and because of this Gamla is a symbol for the modern state of Israel and an important historical and archaeological site. It lies within the current Gamla nature reserve and is a prominent tourist attraction. Gamla under the Hasmonean Kingdom "Israel Nature and Parks Authority" .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964731289.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023

Ancient Jewish city This article is about the ancient city. Gamala ( , lit. the camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights . It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 81 BCE. During the Great Revolt , it became an important stronghold for rebels and because of this Gamla is a symbol for the modern state of Israel and an important historical and archaeological site. It lies within the current Gamla nature reserve and is a prominent tourist attraction. Gamla under the Hasmonean Kingdom Prospect of the Sea of Galilee as seen from the mountain top ruin of Gamla "Israel Nature and Parks Authority" .

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1160661261.

The opening as it stood in 2025 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Ancient Jewish town in the Golan Heights This article is about the ancient city. Gamla ( Hebrew : גַּמְלָא , lit. the camel), also Gamala , was an ancient Jewish town on the Golan Heights . Believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars , it transitioned into a predominantly Jewish settlement that came under Hasmonean rule in 81 BCE. The town's name reflects its location on a high, elongated ridge with steep slopes resembling a camel's hump. Gamla served as a key rebel stronghold during the Great Jewish Revolt against Rome . In the summer of 67 CE, after an extended siege and battle, Roman forces under Vespasian ultimately captured the town and massacred its inhabitants. The Jewish historian Josephus , who accompanied the Roman army, provides detailed accounts of these events in his work, " The Jewish War ." The remains of Gamla were discovered in the 1968 survey of the Golan, with geographical features matching Josephus' descriptions. Located approximately 10 kilometers inland from the Sea of Galilee , the town was built on the southeastern slope of Mount Gamla. Archaeological excavations, starting in 1970 and continuing periodically, have unearthed city walls enclosing an area of about 180 dunams, a water conduit system, ritual baths , Herodian lamps, stone vessels , and thousands of Hasmonean coins . One of the earliest synagogues in the Land of Israel , believed to date back to the late 1st century BCE, was discovered near the town wall in 1976. Due to its historical significance during the revolt, Gamla is a symbol for the modern state of Israel and an important archaeological site. It is located within the Gamla Nature Reserve and is home to various wildlife, including rock hyraxes , wild boars, and numerous species of raptors . Gamla under the Hasmonean Kingdom View of the Sea of Galilee from the mountain top of Gamla "Israel Nature and Parks Authority" . Handbook of Synagogue Architecture .

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